Tradin Organic is extending its presence in Sierra Leone by strengthening its sourcing team in Kenema, the country’s second largest city, and by setting up two new warehouses in Mondema and Ngandong. The organic ingredients supplier is aiming for a fully integrated supply chain, which is “aided by the remoteness of the chosen sourcing areas, making it suitable for organic production, because the risk of chemical contamination is low.”

       Tradin Organic cocoa beans are bought directly from organic farmers in Sierra Leone, wher they are collected and prepared for export. The beans are processed at the Crown of Holland, the company’s cocoa processing facility in the Netherlands. This fully integrated supply chain allows the company to trace its organic cocoa products all the way back to the farmer, says Tradin Organic.

       Tradin Organic started working in Sierra Leone in 2015. The internal conflict and the Ebola crisis had gravely affected the cocoa sector in the country. In 2017, Tradin Organic managed to obtain the first organic certification for a group of 5,000 small farmers. This was a significant step for these farmers because the organic certification gave them access to a premium price.

       Following the organic certification, Tradin Organic became established in Sierra Leone in 2017. Their team of 15 extension workers works directly with organic farmers to guarantee the quality and organic integrity of the cocoa beans. The project in Sierra Leone continues to grow and by November 2018, the company was already working with 35,000 certified organic farmers.

       “Sierra Leone has a favorable climate and soil conditions for growing organic cocoa,” Karst Kooistra, Sourcing Development Director at Tradin Organic, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

       The cocoa beans from Sierra Leone have relatively low levels of cadmium, which is interesting for the EU and US market.

       “We feel that, at the level of retailers and consumers, there is not enough awareness about the challenges involved in sourcing organic and sustainable cocoa. Few consumers or retailers are aware of the efforts that go into creating a fully traceable supply chain for organic cocoa,” continues Kooistra. In addition, few people are aware of the challenges that cocoa farmers face every day and the impact that organic cocoa has on their livelihoods.

       “Our role as a cocoa sourcing and processing company is to be transparent towards our customers and tell the story of our organic sourcing project in Sierra Leone. We will continue to communicate to our customers about the projects that we are setting up in Sierra Leone and provide them with information on every stage of our supply chain,” he explains.

       Far-reaching program to impact farming communities

       Tradin Organic is implementing an extensive sustainability program, which will set up around 72 Farmer Field Schools. These will provide training to help farmers improve their productivity. In addition, the project will create 15 service centers to provide seedlings and organic inputs to farmers.

       In the coming weeks, Tradin Organic will launch a project to promote children’s education. This project aims to help prevent child labor in cocoa farming communities. Later this year, Tradin Organic will also launch a reforestation campaign which will aim at halting deforestation and promoting replanting efforts.

       “The goals of our sustainability program are ambitious but, due to our local presence, we expect that we can achieve them,” Kooistra stresses.

       The company’s Farmer Field School project began last November and its Child Schooling program will start in the first half of this year. “We expect our reforestation program to start in the second semester of 2019. We hope to see the first results of our program already during the 2019-2020 crop,” he says.